August 18, 2008

I'm sorry. I don't like s'mores. I love each component separately (especially ooey, charred, wood-flavored marshmallows), but together they create a sloppy, difficult-to-enjoy dessert.
S'more bars, on the other hand, make my complaints irrelevant--the mess factor is completely gone. The brittle graham cracker that always breaks and usually fails to keep a s'more together is reduced to crumbs. The slab of chocolate is nicely ensconced in those crumbs. The marshmallow, although not charred or wood-flavored, is contained but still gooey and delicious. Wonderful.

(peekaboo!)

The graham cracker crumbs that I ultimately used came from a sample of chocolate graham cookies that I got from work (hooray for perks!). I used toasted coconut marshmallows because a)that's all I had, b)I love coconut, and c)obviously, the "toasted" part would lend itself to a more authentic s'more experience.

Finally, and most importantly, the chocolate I used (in combination with some semi-sweet chocolate chips) was the last of my Amano stash. It was their Cuyagua bar, said to have notes of spice and melon. Oops--maybe not the most appropriate for this dessert, but nevertheless decadent and intoxicating.

In order to correctly enjoy these bars, they really should be eaten immediately, while the marshmallows and the chocolate are still slightly melted. I guess the microwave could be used in a pinch, since eating an entire batch at once probably wouldn't end well for anyone (unless there was a money prize involved).

Put 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and 6 tablespoons melted butter in a 11 x 9-inch baking dish. Using a fork or your fingers, mix well and then press into the dish. Bake at 350°F for 7 minutes or until it begins to brown on the edges.
Distribute the chocolate evenly across the surface of the crust. Put the dish back into the oven for 5 minutes or until the chocolate has melted enough to be evenly spread across the crust.
Once the chocolate is spread, add enough marshmallows to cover the chocolate. Put the dish back in the oven and allow it to cook for 5 minutes or until the marshmallows puff up and turn golden brown on the edges.
Remove the dish from the oven and spread the marshmallows so they evenly cover the surface. Combine 2 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and sprinkle mixture across the surface. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown, bubbly, gooey, and irresistible.

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comments:

I agree with you about s'more cookies. i love the parts, but the eating of it....all breaking and goozing...not so much. This looks amazing!! And you could just make a couple of small ramekins, or however much you wanted. Needed. Wanted.

When I saw the first photo in my aggregator, I couldn't quite tell what it was, but I could tell I wanted it. Real bad. I wonder what that says about me. :) Luscious as always, Grace!

Oh my! Those look so yummy and now my coffee is sitting here feeling so lonely...

Like someone suggested, perhaps you could make these in ramekins and bake them as needed. Or perhaps use a blowtorch to remelt the marshmallow. Or I could just be dedicated and eat the whole thing while it's at its best!

I agree that smores are awfully messy but they're so good I still put up the mess.

Looks delicious, Grace. My pal Joanne (from The Box House blog) always says the blog world has a hive mind, and it's true; I have a s'mores post coming up soon. I do mine as a tart, which also helps do away with the mess. But these sorely tempt me to make bars. Yum!

Come on Grace are you kidding me!! Off the charts sister. WOW this looks so great no wonder I can't get my skinny jeans on right now it is because of people like you!! I say this with love and respect ;)

The bars - oh yeah - a total home run. I've always been kind of on the quiet side about my distain for smores because I really hated the sticky messy eating of them. The kids all love em so what the heck do I know???

Those photos ... especially the one with the melted chocolate ... Wow! My husband would be in absolute s'more heaven. The man loves chocolate. And marshmallows. And graham crackers. Eating them immediately would not be a problem for him. When should I send him over?

You had me... right down to the coconut part! Although it is almost un-southern of me, I just can't deal with shredded coconut. Of course that is easy enough to fix. Beyond that detail, these bars look amazing!

These look amazing Grace. I am drooling over here :P I would love to make these, but I am still on the lookout for veggie marshmallows. I know they are available in the US, but I haven't seen them here yet *sigh*